


Unbreak My Heart

by Felena1971, SunnyInOregon



Category: Criminal Minds (US TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Angst and Feels, F/M, Future Fic, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-20
Updated: 2020-09-19
Packaged: 2020-10-24 21:41:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 15,545
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20712977
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Felena1971/pseuds/Felena1971, https://archiveofourown.org/users/SunnyInOregon/pseuds/SunnyInOregon
Summary: It's 2024, Penelope thinks she has found the love of her life. Has she found her one true love or will time get in the way?





	1. Chapter 1

Unbreak My Heart

Penelope hustles down the street to the diner she visits every morning on her way to work. She pushes the door open and steps inside. A few regulars sit at the counter, they turn to look and nod at her as she makes her entrance. With a smile she heads for her usual corner when a man at a booth catches her eye.

It had been three years since David Rossi had finally retired from the FBI. After re-marrying his third wife, he had decided to leave the chase to the younger generation. Penelope hadn’t seen him since his retirement party. His once jet-black hair was now completely white, not gray or silver, but stark white. His face was covered with what looked like cotton candy but was actually stark-white whiskers that were a few inches long but well groomed.

His dark complexion complemented by the white polo shirt he was wearing, made him appear darker than she remembered. Maybe he was spending more time in the sun, Penelope thought. She could see his slim legs covered by black trousers and a pair of his favorite Italian loafers adorned his feet.

Head down, he was engrossed in a notebook on the table in front of him in which he was furiously scribbling notes with a bright pink pen. Penelope diverted her steps from her usual path to stand at the edge of the booth. Dave didn’t lift his head.

“I could use some more coffee, please,” he said quietly.

“I’ll let the waitress know,” Penelope smirked.

His head popped up at her familiar voice. She took in the brief look of shock before that cheeky smile covered his face.

“Penelope,” his voice caressed her name. He rose from the booth and wrapped his arms around her. She returned the hug, holding him tightly for a little longer than normal convention would dictate. Her arms wrapped around his slim waist, she leaned into the hug and noticed he didn’t draw away until she did. His eyes shone as he looked at her. “This is a wonderful surprise.”

“Same,” she smiled. She gestures towards the empty seat opposite his. “May I?”

“Please.”

She sits as he catches the eye of the waitress who nods as he waves to her. Dave sits. He closes his notebook and sets it to the side.

“Are you meeting someone,” he asks.

The waitress stops at their table with a fresh cup of coffee for Penelope. She fills Dave’s cup from the carafe she brought with her.

“You want your usual, Penelope?” the waitress asks.

Penelope smiles. “Yes, please. How are you, Karen?”

“I’m good. Thank you,” she replies. She looks at Dave. “Did you want to get something to eat too, hon?”

“Sure,” Dave says. “I’ll just have some scrambled eggs and wheat toast.”

“That’s all,” Penelope asks. She raises an eyebrow at him as she gives him a second look. He did look thinner than she remembered. “It’s okay if you want some bacon or sausage, hashbrowns, pancakes.”

The waitress, Karen, pauses as she takes in the exchange. Dave waves her off.

“That’s all, thank you.”

Karen walks away, leaving the old friends alone.

“How are you, Kitten? I haven’t seen you in forever,” he says softly.

“I’m okay,” she nods. “And to answer your earlier question, I am not meeting anyone. I only live a couple of blocks from here, so this has become my breakfast stop.”

“You moved,” he states. “I thought you were going to live in that apartment forever.”

His eyes drop to her hands which are resting on the table. She spreads them open so he can see that she is not wearing a wedding ring.

“No, I’m not married,” she says preempting his next question. “I finally gave in and bought a house.”

“Really,” he breathes. “Wow.”

“I know, with all the things I said about how houses mean family and blah, blah, blah. But I realized that I needed to make my own stability. So, Derek helped me find a place. It needed some work. It still needs work, but I love it,” she grins.

“Are you doing the work yourself,” he asks with a smile.

She shrugs. “Some of it. I’m pretty good at demolition and painting. My skills with a hammer have improved, however, I wouldn’t hire me to fix anything.”

Dave laughs. “Well, it sounds like you’re still better than me.”

Karen returns with their food; scrambled eggs and toast for him; oatmeal and fruit for her.

“Uhh, you’re complaining about the amount of food I’m eating, what about you?” he inquires.

She stirs her oatmeal. “I eat several small meals a day. This is just the beginning.”

“Well, you look amazing as you always have, Kitten.”

“Flatterer,” she winks. “Keep talking.”

He smiles around a mouthful of eggs. Penelope studies his left hand which holds a piece of toast.

“Something you want to share,” she asks. She points her spoon full of oatmeal towards his hand bereft of a wedding ring.

He stops chewing, swallows and drops his head as he lowers both hands to the table. “You should have been a profiler.”

He looks up to see her watching him.

“I should have known better, Kitten. We hadn’t seen each other since the first divorce, why was she suddenly seeking me out? I thought that no one could pull a scam on me, that I was bullet proof. That all my years studying people made it easier for me to spot a scammer. I guess it’s true though, the old are the most vulnerable.”

“You are definitely not old, David Rossi. Vulnerable, yes. But not old.”

He looks at her quizzically. She reaches across the table and touches his hand.

“From the moment I first met you I realized you were a man searching for something. You thought you were searching for truth and justice and answers to cases long past, but in reality, you’ve been searching for love. We all do it, David. Some search harder than others, some don’t have to search at all it is just there.”

“I should have married you, Kitten. You know me better than I know myself,” he sighs.

“Yes, you should have,” she replies as her phone buzzes. She looks at it and frowns. “I have to go to work.”

She stands, Dave also rises.

“Wait, we need to talk,” he frowns. “What do you mean?”

She tucks her phone in her purse and gives him her reserved smile. The one that curves her lips up and makes her eyes sparkle. The one that says I love you even though you’re an idiot.

“I’ll call you later.”

She steps closer and they hug again. She presses a quick kiss on his mouth and then she is gone. Dave stands there stupidly watching the door long after it has closed. His mind racing to process the words bouncing in his head.

Penelope arrives at the BAU. She storms into the briefing room slamming the door behind her. She stomps around to the front of the room.

“Whoa, who pissed in your cheerios,” Emily asks.

“Sorry,” Pen replies through gritted teeth. “Don’t know my own strength sometimes.”

They get through the briefing and the team files out leaving Penelope and Emily alone.

“Are you sure you’re alright,” Emily asks. “You have this undercurrent of anger all around you.”

Penelope stops gathering her things, she looks up and frowns. “If that woman thinks she can get away with this, Scot free, she has another thing coming.”

“What woman? What thing,” Emily frowns.

“That she-bitch who married David,” Penelope growls.

“David? David Rossi,” Emily questions.

Penelope growls and nods her head.

“Krystall? What did she do?”

Penelope sits back in her seat, her face a mix of emotions. “She has incurred the wrath of Penelope Garcia, that’s what she has done. No one hurts David and gets away with it.”

“Let’s just back up here, because I’m not following along,” Emily says gently. She sits next to Penelope. “The last time I spoke to Dave, everything was fine.”

“Oh, it’s not fine,” she huffs. “He and I are going to be having words about keeping secrets – again!”

She raises from the chair and begins to pace. “I stopped at the diner down the street from my house to get a cup of coffee and he was there, alone. I stopped and we chatted and he told me that she fleeced him. She didn’t love him. She married him and stayed married long enough where she could get as much money in a divorce as possible.”

“They didn’t have a pre-nup?”

Pen shakes her head. “He thought he didn’t need one. This was the last Mrs. Rossi, the one he was going to be with for the rest of his life. I’m going to annihilate her!”

“What are you going to do,” Emily asks blandly.

Pen stops pacing and looks at her. “It’s better if you don’t know. Plausible deniability.”

Emily sighs and leans back in the chair. “Why don’t you just tell him how you feel about him? Focus on making his life better.”

“Oh, I am,” Pen states. “He’s not getting away again. I’ve been in love with him for too long.”

“It’s not going to be easy you know. Especially now,” Emily reminds her.

“I know,” Penelope agrees. She slumps back into her chair. “But I’m not going to give up or back down. You should have seen him Emily. He was so sad… almost broken. I have to make him see that he has someone who cares. Someone who loves him and wants to be with him. Not because he’s famous or because he has money. But because he is valuable just as himself.”

Emily reaches out and touches Pen’s arm. “I’m here for you. I’ll help you with whatever you need.”

“Thank you.”

Emily rises from her chair and heads for the door. She stops before opening it. “I think you two will be great together. I’ve always been a fan of the idea. You know that.”

Penelope nods. “I know.”

“Good. Now get to work,” Emily orders as she opens the door and steps out.

Penelope rolls her eyes and grabs her stuff then heads to her lair.

Dave, carrying a black backpack, unlocks the front door of the single story three-bedroom house he recently moved into and hurries inside. He hears a loud thump and the pitter pat of several feet running in his direction. The first to reach him is a large golden lab. She dances at his feet with a ball in her mouth.

Dave chuckles and rubs her head affectionately. “You need to go outside, Jayje?”

The dog circles and whines, tripping over three felines who have joined them in the hallway. A sleek black cat rubs against his leg and purrs as a large orange tabby stands in front of him meowing and mewling non-stop. The third, a lanky tabby sits a few feet away and waits patiently.

“Yes, Penelope. I hear you,” he says patiently to the orange tabby. He leans down and gently caresses the back of the black feline at his feet. “Hello, Emily.”

He takes a step and leans over to scratch the ears of the gray tabby. “Good morning, Bee Gee. Such a good boy.”

He steps carefully through the hallway. The dog runs ahead leading the way to the back door. Dave opens it and all the animals run outside. Dave watches them for a minute before stepping back inside. He leaves the door open so they can come and go as they please.

He goes into the kitchen, sets the backpack on the counter, and replenishes the water in all the water dishes on the floor and the two on the counter. Grabbing the backpack, he heads down the hallway and enters the first door on the right. Most of the walls are covered with pictures of Dave and the BAU team. A few awards and decorations sit on a wall of shelves, sharing space with the books he has written and the ones he has collected.

He sits in the padded chair behind the desk, opens the backpack and pulls out his notebook. He opens his laptop and logs in. As he waits for the computer to boot up, he opens the notebook and looks over his notes. Something catches his eye; he shakes his head and reaches across the desk to a tin can full of pens. While most of the pens are the standard bics and papermates, a few unique pens stand at the ready. Over the years, Dave had surreptitiously helped himself to the collection of pens that Penelope had on her desk.

He starts to fix the notes in his notebook when the orange tabby bounds into the room and jumps onto the desk. She lays on the keyboard of his laptop.

“Mmrrp,” she chirps at him.

Dave smiles. “Oh, Kitten. What am I going to do with you?”

She blinks and purrs loudly as he reaches out and strokes her soft fur. He smiles thoughtfully as he lets his mind wander to the human Penelope Garcia.

Penelope sits at her desk and hangs up the phone. No longer in the cave of doom, she now has an office with windows that she shares with six other people. Her area is on a slightly raised platform and overlooks the others. Each desk partitioned with a plexiglass wall, giving the occupant a defined space and some privacy when they are on the phone. The plexiglass cuts the noise but allows Penelope to see when one of them is in trouble.

A lot has changed the past four years. Her job as an analyst for the BAU became expanded to include several other teams that crisscross the country in pursuit of UNSUBs. However, the bureau added six analysts and promoted Penelope to Supervisor. She still works as the main analyst for Emily’s team, but now she can and does take time to have a life.

Emily, JJ, Reid and the rest of the BAU A-team are in Buffalo, New York working on a case. Penelope spent the majority of the day combing through the local police files gathering the information they needed. She finished the file she had been compiling and sent it to the team.

Plucking a pen out of the container on the corner of the desk, she reaches for notepad, then stops as she remembers the pink pen Dave had been using that morning. It looked suspiciously like one that had gone missing from her collection years ago. She smiles, set the pen down and does a quick search on her computer. In mere moments, she has what she was looking for. She grabs her cell phone and dials a number.

Dave startles as the phone on his desk shrills loudly. Bee Gee, jumps off Dave’s lap and glares at the offending device. Dave chuckles as he reaches over and picks up the receiver before it rings again.

“Hello,” he says softly.

“Did I wake you, mon ami,” Penelope asks.

“No. I was working,” he tells her.

“Huh,” she huffs. “I figured you were asleep because there was no way in hell that you were ignoring me.”

He rubs his forehead and frowns. She was just as confusing as ever. “What are you talking about, Kitten?”

“I’ve been calling your cell phone all day,” she says.

Dave shifts and pulls the device from his pocket. He hits the button, but it doesn’t respond. “Oh, yeah, the battery died yesterday. I should put it on the charger.”

She releases a loud sigh. “Hopeless,” she mutters. “Absolutely hopeless.”

He smiles. “I’m sorry. I will go plug it in when we get off the phone.”

“Good,” she chirps happily. “I see that I’m not the only who has changed residences. You didn’t tell me you moved.”

“I didn’t get a chance to say much this morning,” he points out.

“Well, we can talk about it over dinner,” she says. “I’ll be there around seven. What are we having?”

Dave pauses as he processes this information. “You’re coming over? Tonight?”

“Yes,” she replies. “I still don’t eat meat, so please don’t put any in my portion. Otherwise, make whatever fantastic dish you want. I have to go. I’ll see you soon.”

The line goes dead. Dave holds the receiver in front of him and studies it for a moment. He lets out a deep breath and puts it on the cradle. Looking down at Bee Gee, who still glares, he frowns.

“Looks like we’re having company whether we want it or not,” he tells the young cat.

He checks the time, it’s a few minutes after five. He’d better figure out what he’s making and run to the store to pick up supplies. there isn’t much in his cupboards.

Penelope parks on the street in front of the house that wasn’t far from her own humble abode. She takes in the unremarkable landscape. **_This_**_is where Dave lives?_While not a bad place it is definitely a far cry from the mansion he owned when he was in the Bureau. She grabs her stuff and exits the car, pushing down the thoughts of murder that were rising in her mind.

At the front door, she pushes the doorbell. She can hear the bell peal through the door. A soft bark and the scramble of paws on wooden floors. Her wait is less than a minute when the door opens and her eyes land on Dave’s handsome but worried looking face. With one hand, he opens the door as he struggles to hold the collar of a young and excited golden lab.

“Sit,” he orders. The dog ignores him raising onto hind legs in an attempt to get closer to Penelope.

Penelope steps inside and closes the door. “Who is this?”

The dog frees herself from Dave’s grip and lunges towards Penelope. She jumps up, knocking Pen backwards into the door.

“JJ! Get down,” Dave orders. He grabs the dog’s collar and pulls her back.

Penelope giggles. “You named your dog, JJ? I love it!”

“Yeah,” Dave agrees quietly.

Penelope spots the sleek back feline sitting at the end of the hallway watching them. “And that would be?” She points behind Dave. He twists around.

He clears his throat and heads towards the kitchen as a bell rings, dragging the dog with him. “Uh, that’s Emily.”

“Do you have the whole BAU here,” she asks as she follows him. He has changed into a pink button-down shirt and a pair of dark, slim fitting jeans and no shoes. The jeans fit him well and she can’t help herself from admiring how they form to the curve of his ass. She rarely had the opportunity to watch him like this in the past. She waits as he puts JJ in the backyard. “You could have left her in here.”

Dave shakes his head. He spins around and heads for the oven which is still beeping. “She’s a year and a half and has no idea of the concept of personal space.”

He stops and gives her an admiring glance from head to foot. “Take off your shoes, if you want. Make yourself comfortable.”

“Thank you, I will. What did you make for dinner,” she asks as she sniffs the air appreciatively. She bends over to remove her shoes, placing them under the kitchen bar.

“Veggie lasagna,” he replies. “Made with squash, zucchini and carrots.”

She straightens up and watches as he removes a glass baking dish from the oven. He sets it on the counter. “It smells wonderful.”

“Thanks,” he says with a small smile. “I hope it tastes okay. I don’t do much cooking anymore.”

“You love to cook! What happened?”

He shrugs and turns away from her. She watches as he opens a cupboard and reaches for the dishes with a trembling hand. She hates this, this is not the David Rossi she remembers. What the hell happened to the man? She walks around the counter waiting until he sets the plates on the counter before she touches his shoulder.

“David,” she says softly.

He looks at her. Their eyes meet and hold, and she swears she can see the broken parts of his soul. It breaks her heart thinking about the pain this man is experiencing.

She slides both hands around his shoulders and pulls him close in a tight embrace. He’s rigid, at first, slowly letting his body relax into hers. She feels his hands brush the sides of her thighs, moving higher and around her body. His fingertips skim the curves of her ass, until finally his hands come to rest on the small of her back.

“Penelope,” he whispers. His voice cracks as he says her name. He buries his face in her neck.

She caresses his neck and shoulders as they slowly begin to sway from side to side. His embrace tightens, pressing her firmly against him. She pulls back to look at him, one hand caresses the side of his neck her fingers skim the edge of his ear.

“Penelope,” he says again.

She shushes him and presses her mouth to his. The kiss deepens. She slides her hands into his soft, white hair. His hands drop to her ass. He grabs both cheeks and pulls her tight to his hips, she can feel the beginning of his erection. She brings one hand around and starts to unbutton his shirt. She breaks the kiss, sliding her mouth down his jaw to take his earlobe in her mouth. She sucks and nibbles as his hands squeeze her ass. His hips rock gently against hers.

A sigh and a soft moan escape his lips as her mouth moves down the side of his neck. She licks the muscle from the apex of neck and shoulder up to his ear. She caresses the edge of his ear with the tip of her tongue. Dave nearly cries from the pleasure. She can feel him, hard and hot, through the layers of their clothes.

“Let’s go to your bedroom,” she moans in his ear.

“Yeah,” he breathes.

They move, still wrapped tightly together, out of the kitchen and down the hallway. They kiss again, he presses her against the wall in the hallway. The unyielding wood at her back is no match for the stiffness in his pants. She drops a hand between them and rubs him a few times.

“Fuck,” he cries out as his hips buck.

They shift down the hall again, stumbling through the door of his bedroom. Penelope fumbles with his belt and the clasp of his pants as he pulls his shirt up and over his head. She steps back and quickly removes her own clothes as he shucks his pants, underwear and socks. She makes note of the points of his hip bones and the number of ribs she can see under his skin. In a matter of moments, they are naked and laying on his bed.

She lays back and watches as his mouth caresses and sucks at the nipple of one breast. His hand kneads the other breast a few moments before sliding over her stomach and between her legs. Her knees spread further as his fingers gently probe her pussy. She caresses his back and shoulders, then as he moves further down her body licking, sucking and kissing her skin; her hands slide once again in his hair.

She always wanted to touch his hair. It was so perfect, so dark and perfect. Every strand in place no matter what. If hair could be termed as masculine, his was the most masculine hair she had ever seen. And now, it was white and soft and so untamed. And yet, so very, very masculine.

She sucks in a breath as he moves between her legs, his face disappears. The gentle touch of his whiskers tickles the inside of her thighs. The warmth of his breath caresses her, she barely has time to register it when his tongue slides over her clit.

“Oh fuck,” she moans throatily. She’s had men go down on her before, but it felt nothing like this. Maybe it was because she already had feelings for him or because she was expecting it to be good, but it felt so much better. She could feel her eyes rolling back as he sucks her clit into his mouth and teases her with his tongue. One thing she knew for certain, she doesn’t want him to stop.

He continues to taunt and tease her until she comes. He brushes his swollen wet lips up the insides of her thighs, planting kisses and nibbling on the soft skin until she catches her breath. He drops between her legs again and licks her slowly from opening to clit and back several times.

“Fuck David!”

He chuckles. “Yes?”

“That feels so good,” she whispers as she brushes his hair back. He looks up at her resting his chin on her pubic bone.

“Yeah?”

His face shiny and wet, lips turned up at the end – he looks pleased with himself. The lost look is gone from his eyes, as if for this moment in time nothing exists but him and her.

“Yeah,” she says back to him.

“I want to make love to you,” he says seriously. A flash of uncertainty crosses his face, a guarded look, like he is preparing himself to be turned down.

“Can I return the favor first,” she asks coyly.

He shakes his head as he rises and crawls up her body. She catches a flash of his swollen erection hard and dark red; it looks painful. “Later.”

She nods as she welcomes him into her arms. They kiss again and she tastes herself on his lips. She’s done this before with other men, not usually her favorite thing however, this time her scent on his mouth is a turn on and it causes her to moan deeply. He continues to kiss her as he shifts positions. She can feel him against her swollen and sensitive flesh. He rubs against her a few times before gently pushing himself inside her.

She hisses and he moans as they join together for the first time.

“Oh God, Kitten,” he groans in her ear. He pants trying to gain control of his need for her.

She clutches at his shoulders as she feels him slide deeper inside her. They kiss, clutching at one another. Soon after, he begins to shift his hips sliding out a few inches and back in. She tilts her pelvis. He slips his knees closer moving higher over her body. They continue to adjust until they find that sweet spot, they one that makes her shiver and clench around him. He picks up the pace, moving faster and harder.

They murmur words of endearment and encouragement to each other. Her hands move from spot to spot on his body; his hair, neck and shoulders, down his sides, up across his belly, a tweak to his sensitive nipples and up to his face. Her fingertips gently flow across the valleys, hills and creases on his face as his eyes lock with hers.

“Penelope,” he moans. He thrusts harder. “Fuck! You are so beautiful. Oh my God! Oh, Penelope!”

Her name is drawn out as his body tenses, eyes squeezed shut, he suddenly shudders and she can feel his penis throb as he comes inside her. He tenses again. She continues to caress him everywhere she can hoping that she is increasing his pleasure. She can see the tears on his lashes just before he collapses on top of her. She holds him close as he shudders in her arms.

“It’s okay,” she breathes softly in his ear. “It’s okay.”

He breathes heavily. She matches him breath for breath then slows her rate, he matches her pace. Their breathing slows and his evens out as she realizes he has fallen asleep.

She has her arms full of David Rossi and she is quite okay with it. He has lost weight, she notes, and feels like nothing laying on top of her. She draws aimless pictures on his back and shoulders with one hand while playing with his hair with the other. A smile paints her lips, she looks forward to holding him like this for a long, long time.

Hours, later Dave awakes sore but satisfied he snuggles closer to the soft warm body next to him in the bed. It had been years since he had felt that deep of a connection with someone. Had he known that Penelope was the woman to spark the feelings in his heart, he wouldn’t have wasted all that time chasing other women. He reaches over to caress her, his hands encounter her soft hair. A smile forms on his lips. The smile turns to a frown as she licks his hand.

He opens his eyes to see he is snuggling with JJ. He sits up and looks behind him. The rest of the bed is empty. The house is quiet save for the thump of JJ’s tail on the bed.

“Get down,” Dave orders firmly. “You know you’re not allowed on the bed.”

JJ slinks to the floor. She circles a few times and lays on the rug. Dave glances at the dark bathroom hoping Penelope is in there, but the lack of light tells him otherwise. He slips out of bed, grabs a pair of pajama pants and slips them on. He makes his way out of the bedroom and down the hallway to the kitchen.

The room is empty… and clean. No plates on the counter, no baking dish. He opens the refrigerator. On the shelf is the veggie lasagna covered in plastic wrap, a large piece missing. He searches the rest of the house, waking the cats as he prowls around. There is absolutely no evidence that anyone else had been at his house.

He stares out the large window in the front room. Penelope chirps at him from his feet. He looks down at her and frowns.

“Did I imagine it,” he asks the beautiful cat.

“Mmmrrp,” she replies.

He shakes his head and goes back to the bedroom. He stops in the doorway and stares at his pile of clothes on the floor. “That was a hell of a dream,” he mutters.

He crawls onto the bed and lays flat on his back. Penelope jumps onto the bed and crawls up to his chest. She lays down and begins to purr. Dave strokes her absently, tears flow unbidden from his eyes.

Dave sits in the same booth at the diner as he did the day before. He brought his notebook again, which lay open in front of him, however, he spends most of his time staring at the entrance. Everyone who enters, everyone who walks past the windows is carefully scrutinized.

“You want some more coffee?”

Dave startles. The waitress, different from the previous day, stands at the edge of the table, a smile on her face, coffee pot in hand. He looks at his empty cup and nods.

“Yes. Thank you,” he replies.

“Did you want to order something to eat,” she asks.

He starts to shake his head.

“Yes, he does.” Penelope answers from behind the waitress. Dave’s eyes fly to her. “He’ll have a club sandwich with extra fries and I will have the house salad and a cup of vegetarian bean soup. Oh and an iced tea, please.”

The waitress nods and walks away. Penelope, still standing, smiles at Dave.

“What if I didn’t want extra fries,” he asks.

“Those are for me,” she tells him as she starts to sit on the bench next to him.

He slides over, making room for her. He starts to put his stuff away. Penelope grabs his chin, turning him to face her. She leans and kisses him. Dave kisses her back hungrily. He drops his pan and notebook to wrap his arms around her. They kiss deeply for several seconds.

When they break the kiss, she pulls back and smiles at him wickedly. “Did you miss me?”

Large brown eyes, soft with sadness and sense of longing stare at her intently. “Did last night really happen,” he asks softly.

Her smile softens as she watches him. “Of course, it did. Why would you ask that?”

He looks at the table, releasing her he starts to fidget with his notebook. “I woke up and you were gone. The house was all in order… I thought I dreamed it.”

She brushes her hand over the back of his neck, touching the edge of his hair. “I didn’t have time to look for a pen and paper to leave you a note. Didn’t you get my text?”

“Text?” He frowns at her and pulls his cell phone out of his pocket. He turns it on, but it doesn’t respond.

Penelope sighs and shakes her head. “Did you put that on the charger yesterday?”

He stares at the phone for a moment before looking at her. “I forgot.”

“Ugh! Give me that,” she demands. She takes the phone out of his hand. She rummages through her purse pulling out a small cylindrical object. She plugs the phone into the cylinder.

“What’s that?”  
  


“It’s a portable charger. This way I know it will be charged.”

He nods once and shifts his notebook and the pink pen into his backpack.

“Is that my pen?”

“No,” he replies quickly dropping the pen into his bag and zipping it shut.

“That’s one of my favorite pens,” she says accusingly.

“Not anymore.”

She laughs and leans into him to kiss his cheek. “I’ve missed you.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah,” she nods. “We all have, but I missed you the most.”

He looks at her thoughtfully. “I’ve missed you too.”

They kiss. It lingers for several seconds.

“Sorry to interrupt,” the waitress says causing them to pull apart. She places their food on the table. “Do you need anything else?”

“Some extra ranch,” Penelope says.

“You got it. And I’ll bring your tea. Sir?”

“I’m fine. Thank you,” Dave says. He picks up a fry, blows on it and pops it in his mouth.

The waitress smiles and walks away. They sit in silence eating their food. The waitress returns with Penelope’s ranch and iced tea, then wanders off again.

“Why did you leave,” Dave asks suddenly.

“What?”

“Last night. Why did you leave?”

“One of the teams needed information and the night analyst team was not having any luck. I went in to help them,” she explains.

“Night team,” he questions.

“I supervise six analysts now,” she tells him.

“Good god, they put you in charge of people?!”

She laughs loudly and heartily. “That’s what I said when they told me I would have a team of analysts.”

“How’s that working out for you,” he asks. He takes a bite of his sandwich.

“Good,” she smiles. “I can actually have a private life now. Well, most of the time.”

“Have you been dating a lot,” he probes.

“No,” she says quietly.

“Why not?”

She gives him a side-eyed look. “My heart is already taken.”

“Oh,” he replies carefully. He sets his sandwich down and reaches for his coffee.

Penelope stops eating and puts her fork down.

“David,” she says firmly. He looks at her. “I love you. I’ve loved you for years. My heart; is your heart.”

He blinks at her. “What?”

She sighs and picks up her fork. She starts to play with her salad.

“I was too scared to say anything before. I think I fell in love with you after I got shot. Do you remember… do you remember, the whole team was at my place. Baylor killed the police officer then tried to kill me again only Derek was there? Do you remember that?”

He nods. His eyes watch her carefully.

“We were all in my living room. Everyone was being so careful with me trying to shield me and yet ask questions. And then you,” she laughs. “You sat your ass on my antique table and grilled me about my activities on the computer. I was so shocked that you were sitting on my table and then I realized I would have been mad if it was anyone else. But it was you and I knew I couldn’t say no to you for anything. And I couldn’t keep secrets from you. But there was no way in hell I was going to tell you how I felt. You were David fucking Rossi, the legend of the FBI and I was, well I was me.”

“Penelope,” he starts but she stops him.

“I’ve loved you since then,” she continues. “I tried to ignore it. I tried to stop feeling, but I can’t. And I can’t deny it anymore. I don’t know what’s going to happen with you and I, but I’m going to do everything I can to stay with you. To show you what love really is and to help you find your heart again.”

She places a hand on top of his and squeezes. He watches their hands and says nothing.

“This is probably a lot for you to take in,” she says eventually. He nods, still staring at their hands.

“I… uh.” He looks at her and smiles sadly. “I don’t know if I can do this again.”

He turns his hand over to hold hers.

“I know that you have experienced more loss and pain than a hundred people combined. I’m not asking for you to do anything but give me a chance,” she tells him softly.

His smile widens and reaches his eyes. “If there is anyone in the world who can unbreak my heart, it is you.”

He leans over and kisses her once again.

End Chapter 1


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dave and Penelope's relationship moves forward. Will the past tear them apart?

The world is still dark outside the window when Dave slips out of bed. He pulls his robe on and slides his feet into his slippers before adjusting the covers on his bed, so that Penelope didn’t get cold as she slept. It’s been a week since she waltzed back into his life, a week full of surprises and love. Even though she had her own place, she had moved herself into his house. The animals loved her. Even Bee Gee was less aloof when she was around.

He makes his way out to the kitchen and lets the “kids” out. While they do their business, he fills the water bowls and preps their breakfast. Once finished, he sets about making a pot of coffee. He had stopped drinking it at home as he rarely finished a pot and it would go to waste, but with Penelope in the house nothing went to waste.

He lets the animals back in as his cell phone begins to buzz.

“Who the hell is calling this early,” he mutters.

He picks up the phone and unplugs it from the charger before answering. Penelope always made certain his phone charged every night. “Hello?”

“It’s about damn time you answered the phone. I’ve been calling for an hour.”

He takes a deep breath and scrunches his eyes shut. “Well, it is five o’clock in the morning. What do you want, Krystall?”

“What do I want? I’ll tell you what I want. You need to transfer some money into my account so I can get out of this God-forsaken place,” she growls.

He scratches his forehead. “Use your own damn money.”

“It’s all gone!”

“What do you mean, gone? You went through two million dollars in less than a year,” he asks.

“A couple of days ago, there was money in my account and now, POOF, it’s gone.”

He shakes his head and rolls his eyes. “I’m not sending you any more money.”

“Listen, I’m in a hotel in Mexico, if they find out I have no money they will throw me in jail,” she explains harshly. “Do we really want that to happen?”

“Who are you talking to,” Penelope asks sleepily.

Dave looks up to see her in the doorway wrapped in a blanket, hair mussed. He covers the phone. “It’s Krystall. She’s stuck in Mexico with no money.”

Penelope laughs. “Sucks to be her.”

He sighs, knowing another fight is about to ensue. “I can’t just leave her there.”

Penelope glares at him in a way he has never seen before. “She’s not your responsibility, my love.”

“David! David are you there,” Krystall yells through the phone.

Penelope reaches out and takes the phone out of his hand before he can respond. “Go take a shower, mi amour.”

Dave hesitates briefly, shakes his head, and kisses her softly. “Part of me wants to stay for this catfight and part of me is glad that I’m not.”

Penelope waits until the bedroom door closes even though Krystall is still shouting through the phone.

“Shut up,” Penelope orders.

There’s a brief moment of silence before Krystall responds. “Who is this,” she demands.

“This is your worst nightmare,” Penelope growls into the phone. “David is no longer talking to you. And if you attempt to contact him again, I’m going to call the Mexicans myself and give them your exact location.”

“My, oh my,” Krystall chuckles. “Penelope Garcia. Finally got the nerve to tell Davey about your little girl crush?”

“Keep laughing you little she-devil,” Penelope replies. “It’s the only thing that is going to keep you company when you’re in jail.”

Krystall scoffs. “Like you can do anything to me. You don’t scare me at all.”

“Really? It would sure be a shame if the IRS saw the copies of your tax records as well as the alternate bank accounts you own. And, I’m sure, you wouldn’t want the emails and text messages between you and Portia about your little scamming operation to become public knowledge, now would you?” Penelope chuckles. “I bet the other men you scammed would love to know where you are as well.”

“You can’t prove anything,” Krystall replies, her demeaner a little less confident.

“Oh, I can prove and do a lot of things,” Penelope tells her. “For example, I’m going to return the money to your account so that you can pay for that ridiculous hotel you are staying at, as well as enough for you to live on for a couple of months. You, my dear, are going to find a nice place outside of the United States to live. If you return to the U.S. or try to contact David again, I will send everything I have to the IRS and the US Attorney General. You understand?”

There was a brief pause on the line. “You’ve learned how to be a bitch, haven’t you?”

“No, not a bitch. Just a woman out to protect the ones she loves,” Penelope corrects. “But then, I guess you don’t understand seeing how you don’t know what love is. Bye!”

Penelope hangs up the phone and turns it off. She looks around and realizes the dog and all the cats are watching her. “Well that was more fun than I expected,” she tells them. She laughs as JJ thumps her tail on the floor.

“I’m going to go see what your Daddy is up to,” she muses. She puts the phone down and pads to the bedroom.

Carefully, she closes the door making the kids stay in the hallway. The sound of water running comes from the bathroom. She removes the blanket, dropping it on the end of the bed and walks naked to the bathroom. At the doorway, she stops and stares as Dave stands under the flowing water; his back to her.

The water rushes from his shoulders, down his back and over the curve of his ass. A muscular ass for a man his age, she notes. His hipbones are still noticeable, though he was putting on a little weight. His ribs are not as prominent.

She crosses the room, opens the door, and joins him in the shower. She wraps her arms around him, hugging him from behind. He glances at her over his shoulder.

“Hey Kitten,” he smiles. “Do I want to know?”

She hugs him tighter. “The only thing you need to know is that I love you.”

He takes a deep breath and blows it out. “What about Krystall?”

“Don’t worry about her,” she murmurs. She lets her hands roam up and down his chest. “She’ll be fine.”

He chuckles. “Why do I have a feeling that you were expecting her call?”

She lets one hand slide down to his groin. “Maybe, maybe not.”

She cups his genitals, slowly massaging him. He moans as his head drops and he braces his hand against the wall. The water cascades off his head and shoulders, splashing her in the face. She takes his penis in her hand and slowly strokes him. His body responds to her ministrations, hardening and lengthening under her touch.

She kisses the back of his neck, nibbles and licks at his shoulder as her other hand finds and teases a nipple. He moans again and rocks his hips to the rhythm of her hand.

“My turn to take care of you,” she says softly. She turns him and pushes him against the back wall of the shower. She grabs both of his wrists in her hands and pins them to the wall as she kisses him. They French for a few seconds before she breaks the kiss and nibbles her way down his body. She sucks on the soft skin at the apex when neck meets shoulder, the blood pulsing through his veins creates a rhythm she can feel through her lips.

She licks her way down to his nipples, sucking away the water as she teases the sensitive nubs.

“Keep your hands to yourself,” she orders as she releases his wrists.

“Kitten,” he moans. His arms drop.

She gives him a stern look. “I mean it.”

Slowly, he raises his hands and places them on top of his head.

She continues to nibble and lick her way down his body until she is on her knees and his erection is directly in front of her. She glances up and smiles wickedly as she sees him watching her.

“I love you,” she whispers. She slowly takes him into her mouth.

***

Several days later, Penelope sips at the coffee in the mug she cradles in her hands. “Mmm,” she moans as Dave sets a plate in front of her; a large waffle, covered in strawberry and blueberry compote with a side of scrambled eggs.

“You like,” he asks as he sets his plate down and sits next to her.

“Looks delicious,” she gasps. “I didn’t know we had compote.”

“I made it from the berries we bought at the little farmer’s market on Saturday.”

She picks up a strawberry and pops it into her mouth. She moans and rolls her eyes. “I swear, you should have been a chef.”

He laughs as he cuts his waffle. “We never would have met, Kitten.”

“I would have found you,” she replies as she digs into her food.

“I have no doubts about that,” he laughs.

They eat in silence, save for the scrape of utensils on china and moans of pleasure from Penelope, for a few minutes.

“Any chance you can get Friday off,” Dave asks carefully.

She puts her fork down and grabs her mug. “I can ask. Why? What’s up?”

“I need to go to Florida to look up some things for my book,” he replies. “I thought you might want to come with me. For the weekend.”

“You need help with your research,” she asks with a smirk.

He shakes his head. “Nah, that part won’t take too long. I thought it would be nice if we spent some time together away from here.”

She places a hand over his. “I will definitely get Friday off for that, even if I have to hack the system.”

He leans over and kisses her. “Don’t get yourself in trouble.”

“I’m a good girl,” she replies as she bats her eyes at him. “You’re the trouble-maker.”

***

“Alright, my love, I’m headed off to work,” Penelope announces as she enters the kitchen.

Dave turns off the water, shakes his hands in the sink and grabs a towel to dry them. He gives her a head to toe perusal and smiles as his eyes reach hers. “You look amazing as always, my dear.”

She smiles. “I love it when you look at me like that,” she tells him saucily.

He waggles his eyebrows at her. “I love looking at you.”

He follows her to the front door and kisses her good-bye. “Don’t forget to ask about Friday,” he reminds her.

“I already texted Emily,” she replies. “I’m waiting for an answer.”

She saunters out to the driveway where Esther, waits patiently. Her large, orange convertible stands ready for every adventure. Penelope slides in behind the wheel and sets her purse on the floor. She fires up the engine and looks back at the front door to see Dave still watching her. She smiles brightly and waves before setting the car into reverse and backing out of the driveway.

The trip to Quantico, is a short twenty-minute drive. She pulls into the parking garage and backs into her normal space. Grabbing her purse, she locks the car and heads for the elevator.

***

Penelope enters the BAU and turns right to go to the breakroom.

“Hey P.G.,” Emily calls out, stopping the tech supervisor in her tracks. “Wait up.”

She turns to see Emily approaching, coffee mug in her hand. “Good morning!”

“Good morning,” Emily replies as they fall into step together. “What’s happening on Friday?”

Penelope grins. “David asked me to go to Florida with him for the weekend.”

“Mm-hmm,” Emily hums. “That sounds exciting. How are the two of you doing?”

“We’re good,” Penelope smirks. “I have basically moved into his house.”

“I would love to see him again. And, of course, the two of you together. When are you going to invite me over?”

Penelope pours each of them a cup of coffee. “I’ll talk to him about it tonight.”

Emily takes a sip from her mug. “And I’ll work on that day off.”

They part ways, each heading to their respective offices.

***

Dave spends a few hours in his office typing a rough draft of the next chapter of his book. He’s interrupted by JJ whining and pawing at his leg. He rubs the top of her golden head. “You want to go outside, little girl?”

She whines and wags her tail thumping the side of his desk. He chuckles. “How about we go for a walk,” he asks.

JJ spins around in a tight circle and barks loudly. Dave stands up and heads for the hallway. JJ races past him, nearly knocking him over. They make their way to the front door. Dave grabs the harness that Penelope had insisted on buying for the young dog, it is pink with shiny fake diamonds.

“Sit,” Dave orders.

JJ half sits, shaking in her excitement to go outside. Dave straps the harness around her and attaches the matching leash. He checks his pockets for his keys and cell phone before leading the young dog out the door.

They walk for several blocks with JJ sniffing at every tree, telephone pole and mailbox within reach. They turn down a side street and continue walking, eventually coming upon Penelope’s house. They slow down in front of the house. Dave takes note of the lawn and other foliage, seeing that it could use a trim. Penelope will not be happy, he decides, but he’s sending his landscapers over to take care of the yard.

“Come on, JJ,” he prompts the dog and starts walking. As he passes the house, movement in the back yard catches his eye. He stops, turns around and heads for the side gate JJ happily bouncing at his side.

Once in the back yard, he spots two men peering through the sliding glass door.

“Hey! What the hell are you doing here,” Dave demands authoritatively. JJ barks aggressively.

The two men jump and look at him. They take off running around the house away from Dave. Dave pulls JJ with him back through the gate to the front yard. The two men hops the front fence and run up the street to a parked car. Dave chases after them. The car takes off, speeding past him and around a corner.

Dave returns to the house. He checks the windows and doors, noting that nothing is broken. He pulls out his cell and dials Penelope’s number.

“Hey handsome,” she answers swiftly. “How are you?”

“I’m fine,” he responds as JJ pulls on the leash and begins barking again. “Quiet, JJ.”

“What has her all riled up,” Penelope asks with a laugh.

“Well that’s why I’m calling,” Dave says. “We’re out for a walk and I just caught two guys staring through the back door of your house.”

“What?! Oh my god, Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. They took off when I yelled at them.”

“David! Are you crazy? You should have called the police,” she scolds.

He nods, though he knows she can’t see him. “I know. But the police would have gotten here too late. Besides, they left.”

“Well, next time just keep walking, please!”

“You don’t want me to protect your house,” he asks.

“I have an alarm system,” she explains. “It will be fine.”

“What about your stuff,” he counters.

“Well,” she ponders. “I guess I’ll have to move it to your house.”

He sighs. “Fine. We’ll start after dinner.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. Really.”

“Text me when you get home,” she says softly. “I want to know that you made it safely.”

“I will,” he promises. “JJ’s all wound up. I’m taking her to the dog park.”

“Okay, love. Talk to you soon. And don’t worry about the house. It’s fine.”

Dave hangs up and slips the phone back into his pocket. “Come on, pup. Let’s go.”

***

Penelope hangs up the phone and stares into space. A smile on her face as she thinks about Dave and the fact that he wants her to move in completely with him.

“Penny for your thoughts,” JJ says from the doorway.

Penelope drops her phone as she jumps. “Jeez, JJ! You scared the bejeebers out of me.”

JJ chuckles as she enters the office and makes herself comfortable on the couch. “You were so lost in your head, you didn’t hear me knocking.”

“Sorry.”

“It’s okay,” JJ replies with a wave of her hand. “What were you thinking about?”

“Nothing,” Penelope replies quickly as she nervously plays with her keyboard.

“Uhh, come on, spill.”

Penelope bites her lip. “Remember I told you that I saw Rossi last week?”

JJ nods. “Yeah.”

“Well, we – umm, we’re kind of living together now.”

“What?! Are you kidding?”

Penelope shakes her head. “I just took a couple bags of my stuff and moved myself in.”

“Dave’s okay with this,” JJ asks expectantly.

“I guess so,” Pen nods. “He wants to move the rest of my stuff to his place. And he asked me to go to Florida with him for the weekend.”

“Wow,” JJ replies. She blinks repeatedly as she leans back on the couch. She looks at Penelope and smiles. “Are you about to become the next Mrs. Rossi?”

“No,” Penelope replies succinctly. “I hope to become the last Mrs. Rossi.”

JJ’s smile turns to a grin. “That would be awesome. Tell him I miss him and want to see his handsome face soon.”

“I’ll tell him. Emily said almost the same thing,” Penelope smiles. “I think we are going to have a house party soon.”

“Have you told Derek?”

“I told him.”

“And?”

“He said it was about damn time,” Penelope says in attempt to mimic her best friend.

“Truth,” JJ shouts as she throws her hands in the air.

They share another laugh.

“Alright, enough chit-chat,” JJ says as she stands. “I just wanted to drop-in and say hi. I was going to ask you to come over tonight for dinner, but I’m sure you guys have plans.”

“Eat dinner and move, that’s our plans now.”

“Have fun!”

***

Penelope shuts down her computer, grabs her purse and locks her desk. She briefs the night team and heads for the exit. She decided to leave a little early, so she and Dave would have a little more time to pack her stuff and load the cars. She had made a list of the things she really wanted or needed and another list of things to sell or give away. It’s funny, she thought as she steps into the elevator, how easy it was to discard stuff that she thought she would keep forever, just because Dave already had those items.

The elevator chimes as it comes to a stop at her floor. She exits and heads to her car. She unlocks the door and slides behind the wheel, placing her purse on the floor as usual. She straps into the seatbelt and fires up the car. The engine roars to life. She drops into gear and is surprised as Esther leaps out of the parking spot. It seems the car is as excited to get home as she is.

She gets out on the road and heads for Dave’s house, well home now she smiles. She turns up the radio and starts to sing with the song that is playing. The light ahead of her changes from green to yellow. She presses the brakes; the pedal goes soft. She pumps the brakes quickly and brings the car to a stop.

“That’s weird,” she mutters.

The light changes, she releases the brake and the car surges forward once again. She holds on to the steering wheel tightly. The engine roars louder than before. She presses the brake to slow down. The pedal drops to the floor. It doesn’t come back up.

The next light changes from green to yellow. She jams her hand on the horn. Holding it down, warning others of her plight. The car speeds through the intersection as the light turns to red. She tries to pull the gas pedal up, but it doesn’t budge. The car speeds faster and faster.

“Oh my God,” she cries. “Oh, get out of the way!”

She steers around other vehicles in the road. Suddenly, she remembers a conversation she had with Derek; he was talking about what to do in a situation like this. She pops the car into neutral. The engine continues to roar. She braces herself, remembering that he told her to rub the tires on the curb if she could to slow down.

Tears streaming down her face, she still holds the horn down as she runs another light. She can hear the squealing of brakes from other vehicles as they avoid her. She sees a spot ahead where the side of the road is clear of cars. She veers Esther in that direction. Her car is slowing down but not quickly.

She slides to the right, the wheels smash into the curb. The steering wheel pops out of her hand as she swerves back to the left. She grabs the wheel and jerks it to the left narrowly avoiding an oncoming car. She tries for the curb, this time too sharply. The car jumps the curb. She screams as she sees a tree straight ahead. People scramble to the left and right as Esther slams into the tree.

Penelope bounces around in her seat. The roar of the engine drowns out all other sounds.

**End Chapter 2**


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What happened to Penelope after the brakes failed in her car?

Dave checks the dough sitting on the counter as it slowly rises. He opted for homemade pizza tonight, one for him and one for Penelope, that way they could each have what they like. He glances at the clock; Penelope was late, and she hadn’t called to let him know when she was coming. He pulls the dough out of the bowl and begins to knead it into shape before it rose too much. He gets one crust ready and starts the second when his cell phone rings.

He grabs the phone and tucks it between his ear and shoulder as he continues working the dough.

“Penelope? Where the hell are you?”

“Hey Dave, it’s Emily.”

“Oh, hey,” he replies less enthusiastic. “How are you? What’s going on?”

“Penelope was in a car accident,” she says bluntly. “She’s at Mercy Hospital.”

“I’m on my way,” he replies sharply. He closes the phone not waiting for a reply and races out the door.

***

Dave rushes into the emergency room, striding quickly towards the intake desk.

“Rossi,” a male voice calls out to him. He turns and spots Matt Simmons standing near a door across the room. Dave hurries over to him.

“Hey Matt.”

The two men embrace in a hug complete with pats on the back.

“Hey! Come on, we’re in here,” Matt replies. He leads Dave through the door and down a quiet hallway to a private waiting room. Matt steps to the side and waves Dave to enter before him.

Dave pauses briefly, before stepping into the room. The team, his team waits there. He’s momentarily overwhelmed by the feelings of déjà vu, a flash of the early days when Penelope had been shot by Baylor within weeks of Dave re-joining the team. This time, Dave doesn’t feel like the awkward bystander.

“Dave,” JJ calls out. She jumps to her feet and hugs him before he can reply. He squeezes her tightly. “I’ve missed you.”

He pulls back and sees the tears glistening in her eyes. “You too, kiddo.”

He accepts the hugs and handshakes from his friends before turning a sharp eye to Emily.

“She’s going to be fine,” Emily assures him.

“What happened,” he demands.

Emily shakes her head. “Her car ran into a tree. That’s all we know.”

“Have you talked to her? Is she awake?”

“We haven’t had a chance to talk to her yet,” Emily states calmly. “They’ve taken her to x-ray. Apparently, she’s conscious. That’s all we know.”

Dave nods as a nurse enters the room. “The doctor said it’s okay for one of you to come back and see Ms. Garcia, if you like.”

Emily and JJ push Dave towards the door.

“Her boyfriend would like to see her,” JJ announces. She gives Dave a big smile. “Give her a hug for me.”

He glances at the others and sees nothing but smiles from them. He nods. “I’ll get you an update as soon as I can.”

Dave follows the nurse through a maze of hallways cluttered with gurneys, wheelchairs and people. She steps into a room partitioned by several hanging curtains; leading him to the back. The nurse peers around the curtain. “Are you ready for a visitor?”

The nurse smiles at Dave. “Here you go,” she says softly.

Dave steps around her and pulls back the curtain. Penelope lays on the bed covered by a sheet. Her left arm in a harness, holding it tight to her chest, and a bruise on her left cheek.

“Hey Kitten,” he says softly as he approaches her.

She opens her eyes and looks at him as tears begin to form. He quickly moves over to the bed, leans down and kisses her forehead. “It’s okay,” he whispers.

He pulls up the only chair in the room and sits next to her. He takes her right hand in his and kisses her fingers.

“I feel so stupid,” she says. Her voice wobbles with emotion.

“Do you remember what happened?”

“I think so,” she croaks. “I was driving home, and the… the brake pedal fell to the floor and I couldn’t stop. The engine - it was so loud. Like, really loud. I tried to slow down, but the car bumped the sidewalk and flew to the left. OH! There was a car! Did I hit the car?”

“I don’t think so,” he says shaking his head. “I was told that you hit a tree.”

She frowns. “Yeah, I remember the tree. There were people and they were running; I couldn’t turn, or I would have hit them! Oh my God! Is Esther okay?”

Dave frowns. “Esther?”

“My car,” she replies.

He chuckles inwardly and shakes his head. “I don’t know, Kitten. Let’s not worry about that right now, okay?”

She nods her head and looks at her left arm. “I think I broke my arm or something.”

“Maybe,” he nods. “Why don’t you rest for a few minutes?”

“You’ll stay?”

He smiles at her and gently wipes the tears from her cheeks. “I’m not going anywhere, Kitten.”

He watches her sleep for about fifteen minutes, before a doctor shows up to check on her. The man was short, with a pleasant face and a receding hairline.

“I’m Doctor Abbott,” he smiles as he introduces himself.

“David Rossi.”

“Are you related to Ms. Garcia?”

“I’m her – significant other,” Dave replies.

The doctor nods and smiles.

“That’s his fancy way of saying boyfriend,” Penelope says lowly.

“I think he figured that out, Kitten,” Dave tells her.

“What’s the word, Doc,” Penelope asks as she squeezes Dave’s hand.

“Well, the x-rays confirmed that you broke your wrist,” he replies. “You have a few bruises, like that one on your cheek and where the seatbelt was over your waist. No concussion, though I suggest you take it easy for a few days. I wouldn’t suggest flying anywhere for a week or two. We’ve given you something for the pain and to help with the swelling. In a few hours, we’ll put a cast on you and send you home.”

“That’s great news,” Dave states. He kisses her hand again.

“Oh, and you should stay home from work. You’re going to be tired and sore for a few days,” the Doctor continues. “I’m guessing you’ll want the bruise on your face to ease a little.”

She shrugs and winces from a stab of pain. “Nothing a little make-up can’t hide, right?”

“That’s up to you,” Doctor Abbott says.

“Any chance the rest of our family can come see her for a moment,” Dave asks.

“I don’t see why not,” Doctor Abbott counters. “As long as they don’t get in the way or stay too long.”

“We’ll keep it quick,” Dave promises. “They just want to see her for themselves.”

Abbott nods. “I’ll have the nurse bring them in.”

As Doctor Abbott leaves Dave reaches up and kisses her on the mouth. “You scared the hell out of me, Kitten.”

“Me too,” she replies. She smiles dreamily. “Does this mean you care about me?”

He frowns. “Of course I care about you,” he growls. “Silly woman, do you really think I would allow you to take over my life if I didn’t?”

She laughs. “Silly man, do you think I would let you stop me?”

He blinks at her. “I guess you got me there.”

He kisses her again, this time the kiss lingers.

“Hey now, none of that in the hospital,” Luke admonishes.

Dave turns to glare at the younger man. “Mind your own business, son.”

The nurse opens the curtain to the next cubicle. “There’s no one here for now. This will give you a little more space. Try not to make too much noise, please.”

“I’ll keep them in line,” Emily promises as the nurse leaves.

“How are you feeling,” JJ asks. She bends over and kisses Penelope’s forehead.

“Loopy.”

“They gave her pain meds and something for the swelling in her hand,” Dave explains. He looks at Emily. “She’s going to be off work for a while.”

Emily nods. “Of course. You know, I was going to approve you having Friday off. You didn’t have to go to extremes like this.”

“You know me,” Penelope drawls. “I like to be dramatic.”

Dave catches JJ eye, “Can you do me a favor?”

“Of course,” JJ replies.

“Find out where Penelope’s car is and have it towed to my mechanic,” he asks. He pulls out his phone and fumbles to open it. “I can get you the address.”

“Is it the guy you sent Will and I to when we needed work done on the van,” she asks in return.

“He nods. “Yeah…”

“I got this. We still use him. Let me make a phone call,” she smiles as she pulls out her cell.

“Is something wrong,” Emily asks with a frown.

Dave shakes his head. “Nah, it just sounds like the brakes needed to be changed.”

“Brakes should be checked and changed often,” Reid cuts in. “Especially in an older car like Esther.”

“I guess you guys will be spending some quality time at home now,” Luke teases.

“Yeah, I guess so,” Dave says with a smile.

“What about Florida,” Penelope asks.

“It can wait.”

She pouts. “But I want to go to Florida.”

“The doctor said you shouldn’t be flying,” Dave reminds her.

“We could drive,” she suggests.

“Ooh, that’s a nice drive,” Tara states. “Some friends and I drive to Daytona at least twice a year. It takes about a day.”

“Which part of Florida,” Matt asks.

“Jacksonville,” Dave says.

“Yeah,” Matt nods. “That’s about a day.”

“Ten hours and twenty-five minutes in good traffic,” Reid tells them. “It’s seven hundred and six miles from downtown DC to downtown Jacksonville.”

Dave chuckles. He shakes his head. “Believe it or not, I’ve missed that.”

The others chuckle as well. JJ enters the cubicle and stops. “What did I just miss,” she asks.

“Just Reid being Reid,” Luke smiles.

“Ah,” she says knowingly. She looks at Dave. “I got a hold of the tow company and arranged for Esther to be dropped at the mechanics in the morning. They will charge it to the mechanic, and you can pay through them.”

Dave nods. “Thank you.”

“Did they say how bad she is damaged,” Penelope asks.

“I forgot to ask,” JJ replies. “Do you want me to call them back?”

“No,” Dave says firmly. He looks at Penelope. “I’ll go to the mechanic shop in the morning and look at the car myself.”

Penelope smiles. “Thank you, my love.”

He smiles wryly at her.

“So, Florida? Or no, Florida,” Matt asks. “I’m dying to know.”

Everyone laughs except JJ.

“What’s in Florida,” JJ asks.

“We were going to go down for the weekend, but now…” Dave trails off.

“I still want to go,” Penelope whines. “I’ve never been.”

Dave sighs. “I don’t know. My car is not conducive to long drives, Kitten.”

“You could rent an RV,” Matt suggests. Everyone looks at him.

“That’s a great idea,” Emily chimes in. “There would be plenty of room to stretch out, you could park at the beach.”

“Sure,” Matt agrees. “Kristy and I have rented an RV. It’s great to take the kids camping, though it’s not really camping. However, you have a bathroom with a toilet and shower as well as a kitchen.”

“Oh, that would be great,” Penelope gushes. “We could take JJ and Emily and the other kids with us.”

Dave gives her a stern look as the others chuckle and smirk.

“I think the drugs are working,” JJ murmurs.

Dave closes his eyes and takes a breath before turning around to face the team. “No. JJ is… she’s my golden labrador.”

The team minus JJ, laughs loudly.

“Quiet,” JJ admonishes them. “You’re going to get us thrown out of here.”

“He named his dog after you,” Luke spits out as he continues to laugh.

JJ glares at Luke. “I’m actually honored to have my name used in such a manner.”

“If JJ is a dog, what is Emily,” Reid inquires.

“She’s a cat,” Dave says lowly.

“Is she a good cat,” Emily asks.

Dave smiles. “She’s great. She’s sleek and agile, quite the hunter. She loves bringing mice and birds, and snakes into the house.”

“Oh Gawd,” Penelope moans.

“Penelope hinted at more, how many pets do you have,” Tara asks.

“Well, those two and two more cats,” Dave admits.

“What are their names,” Tara presses.

Dave smirks. “Penelope and Bee Gee.”

“Bee Gee, as in the Brothers Gibb,” Matt asks.

Dave’s smirk widens to a grin. “Boy genius.”

“Aww,” they all say in unison.

The nurse comes in. “Okay guys, sorry to break up the party but it’s time for Ms. Garcia to get checked again. You’ll need to clear out. Mr. Rossi, you can wait in the hallway. The rest of you will need to go out of the ER.”

“I think we can all head home,” Emily suggests. “Dave, let me know when you guys get home.”

“And if you need help moving,” JJ chimes in.

“Moving,” Emily repeats.

“We were going to move Penelope’s stuff to my house,” Dave explains. “We’ll figure that out later.”

“Well, you have extra hands if you need them,” JJ says as she presses a kiss to his cheek. “I’ll bring Will and the boys, they’re good strong workers.”

“Count the Simmons family in on that as well,” Matt states.

The entire team agrees to help if needed as they say their good-byes and filter out of the area.

Dave gives Penelope a side-eye. “Somebody’s been talking again.”

Penelope half shrugs and giggles. “Yeah. You mad?”

He winks at her. “Not at all.”

He steps into the hallway when the doctor comes in and waits patiently near the door. An orderly arrives with a wheelchair and a few minutes later, he’s following Penelope down the hallway and into an elevator as they head to another section of the hospital.

“We have a special room for casting,” the orderly announces. “You can pick out what your cast will look like as you watch tv.”

***

Two hours later, Dave helps her out of the car and into the house where they are greeted by a very excited Labrador.

“I swear I’m going to hobble this dog,” he growls.

“Don’t you dare,” Penelope counters. “She’s just happy we’re home.”

“Do you want to go to bed,” Dave asks. “It’s almost eleven.”

“I do,” she agrees initially. “But I’m starving. You didn’t happen to make dinner, did you?”

“I started to. I was making pizzas for us.”

“Ooh, I could go for some pizza,” she smiles.

“Let me check the dough,” he smiles back.

He heads towards the kitchen with her close behind. JJ scurries ahead. Dave stops at the entrance to the kitchen, his jaw drops. The bag of flour lay on the floor, flour everywhere. The dough that had been on the counter was missing. JJ stands in the middle of the room wagging her tail.

He looks over his shoulder at Penelope. “How about some scrambled eggs?”

Penelope bites her lip and nods. “That would be fine. Do you want some help cleaning up first?”

Dave shakes his head. He steps over to the back door and ushers JJ outside. “No, thank you. I’ll clean up the stove and make us some food. Then we’ll get you to bed and I’ll finish the kitchen.”

“This looks like a war zone,” Penelope muses as she settles on the stool at the counter.

“It’s my own fault,” Dave tells her. “As soon as I heard you were in the hospital, I left without cleaning up.”

“How much dough was there?”

“A lot. I can only hope that the dog hasn’t puked it up yet,” he grumbles.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dave is started to have suspicions about the things happening in Penelope's life. He talks to an old friend about it.

It is half past midnight when Dave guides Penelope into the bedroom, half-asleep and very loopy after eating her scrambled eggs and toast.

“Listen Buddy,” she mumbles as she pokes him vigorously in the chest. “If you’re planning any hanky-panky, you better make it fast.”

Dave chuckles. “No hanky-panky tonight.”

“Why not,” she slurs. She frowns at him as she teeters. Dave grabs her arms and gently lowers her to sit on the side of the bed. She yawns.

He begins to undress her, pulling off her shoes before reaching under her dress to unsnap her hose. He rolls each hose carefully down her legs.

“Do you want a nightie or pajamas,” he asks. He stands up and stares down at her sleeping form. At some point, she had lain back on the bed. “I guess we’re going for naked. I’m more skilled at the undressing of a woman rather than the dressing.”

Carefully, he removes the rest of her clothing and scootches her under the covers. He puts her dress in the pile of dry cleaning, places her shoes on the rack in the closet and sets the rest of her clothing on a shelf to be dealt with later. He then undresses himself and climbs into bed with her.

Penelope instinctively cuddles to him, wrapping herself around his body. He winces as she smacks his shoulder with her newly casted left hand and wrist. He turns off the light and pulls her closer as he stares at the ceiling. It’s been a long time since he cared for someone as much as he cares for Penelope. He loved his wives, even Krystall for a while, but it wasn’t as intense as the feelings he has for the woman in his arms.

After spending most of the night staring at the ceiling, Dave crawled out of bed as the sun first appeared in the sky. He showered quickly, dressed, and headed out the door with a still sleepy Labrador by his side. “Come on, JJ.”

The young dog half-heartedly wagged her tail and followed him at a sedate pace. They slowly made their way around the neighborhood, stopping often for JJ to sniff and pee.

Dave took the time to replay the previous evenings events, concentrating on Penelope’s recollection of the accident. Dave was worried. Something about Penelope’s account of her accident had made him uneasy. She was a good driver and had always taken care of her old but reliable Cadillac. A fleeting image of the two men he had chased out of her backyard crosses his mind. Was this just a coincidence or was something else going on?

As they come around the corner to return to the house, Dave slows as he eyes an unfamiliar car parked on the street in front of his house. He braces himself, years of training and instinct kicking in, as the driver’s door opens. A woman steps out of the vehicle and smiles at him. “Hello, David.”

He laughs as the tensions leaves his body. “Emily. What are you doing here?”

“I was headed to work and wanted to check on Penelope,” she explains as he and JJ finish their approach. The young dog sniffs at her enthusiastically. “You must be JJ.”

“JJ, sit,” Dave orders as he gives the leash a tug. The dog ignores him. “She still needs to learn some manners.”

Emily laughs. “It’s okay. She’s gorgeous.”

“Thanks. It’s a little early for visiting hours, you know.”

“I thought of that as I got here,” Emily nods. “But then I saw you walking down the street with the dog and thought it might be okay to wait. Sorry, I should have called later in the day.”

“It’s fine. Actually, I have something I want to talk to you about,” he tells her. “You have time for coffee?”

“Sure. Is Pen awake?”

Dave leads her to the front door. “I doubt it. She was sleeping pretty good when I left.”

They enter the house, it’s quiet inside. Dave unleashes the dog as Emily closes the door. He leads her to the kitchen.

“Let me feed the dog and cats, then I’ll put some coffee on,” he smiles.

“I can start the coffee if you want,” Emily offers.

“Sure,” he nods. “Everything is in the cupboard over the coffee pot. I’ll be right back.”

Dave disappears down the hallway with the dog on his heels. Emily sets to the task of making coffee and in a matter of minutes has the machine brewing. She turns around to find a lanky, gray tabby cat sitting on the breakfast bar watching her through half-lidded eyes.

“So, which one are you,” Emily asks quietly. “You definitely aren’t Emily, she’s black. So, you are either Bee Gee or Penelope.”

A loud meow at her feet startles her. She looks down to see a fluffy orange cat looking back at her.

“Meow,” the cat vocalizes again.

Emily laughs. “You, have to be Penelope.”

She bends downs and scratches Penelope on the head.

“Mmrp,” the cat chirps.

Emily laughs again and stands. She reaches out to pet Bee Gee, but he jumps off the bar and races across the room.

“He’s a little skittish,” Dave explains as he enters the room. Penelope yowls at him. “Your food is in the other room, Miss Penelope. Go away.”

Emily giggles. “I so hope that I get to meet Emily before I go.”

“She’s sleeping with the real Penelope right now,” Dave smiles. He putters about in the kitchen pulling out mugs, spoons, cream and sugar. “Thanks for starting the coffee. I usually set it before I head out in the morning, but I forgot.”

“Distracted or tired?”

He looks at her sharply. “Both?”

She nods.

“Have a seat,” he says as he gestures towards the stools behind the bar.

“Thanks. You wanted to talk about something?”

He looks at her and nods before turning his back to her. “It could be nothing. In fact, I hope it is nothing, but I wanted to run it by someone I trust before I say one way or the other.”

She watches in silence as he pours coffee into both mugs. He sets them on the bar and comes around to join her. They take a moment to prepare their coffee the way they like.

“Does this have anything to do with Penelope, or is it something else,” she asks quietly.

“Don’t you think it’s odd that her brakes went out last night,” he asks. “In all the years I’ve known her, she has always kept up on the maintenance of her car.”

“It is a little suspicious, however, it is an old car. Those things can happen,” she points out.

“I know,” he nods. “She tell you what happened at her house yesterday?”

Emily pauses, mug raised to her lips. “Her house?” she questions.” No, she didn’t say anything.”

“I was walking by and caught two guys poking around in the backyard,” Dave says. “They ran off when I confronted them.”

Emily shakes her head. “She didn’t say a thing.”

“Is she working on anything that could become a personal problem,” he asks.

“You know I can’t tell you anything,” she reminds him.

“I’m not asking for details,” he growls. “I just want to know if I need to protect my woman.”

Emily smirks. “Your woman?”

Dave ignores her and drinks his coffee. He frowns as his mind goes into overdrive.

“Listen,” Emily says cutting into his thoughts. “I don’t think she’s working on anything like that. But I will double check and let you know.”

“Thank you,” Dave replies. He looks at her and smiles wryly. “How are you doing?”

“I’m good,” she says quickly.

He gives her an appraising look. “And the love life,” he asks as he grabs her left hand and inspects it.

She gives his hand a squeeze and doesn’t pull away. “My love life is great actually. Andrew and I spend a lot of time on the phone talking or doing internet dates or traveling to see each other. And we’re happy. I’m spending Thanksgiving and Christmas in Colorado. He comes out here every couple of months.”

“Any talk of a wedding,” he presses. He gives her hand a squeeze and releases it.

She squirms and blushes. “We’ve been talking about it. Keely graduates from high school soon and will be going off to college. My job is pretty secure, so Andrew may transfer back out to D.C. at that time.”

“Good for you,” Dave says earnestly. “You deserve the best. But since I’m not available, this guy will do.”

Emily laughs loudly. “Yeah, I think Penelope had dibs from the moment you first walked back into the BAU.”

It was Dave’s turn to blush. “Really? She said something about it… but I thought she was just trying to make me feel better.”

“She was,” Emily replies honestly. “Because she loves you.”

He nods and wiggles his eyebrows. “She’s told me that as well.”

“You don’t believe her?”

He blinks. “Of course, I do. I just…”

He stares past her shoulder for a moment before focusing again. “I don’t know if I can do it again.”

She places her hand on his arm. “All she wants is to be with you. You don’t have to do the marriage thing.”

He sighs and stares into his coffee cup. “Relationships are complicated and messy. I…”

She cuts him off with a snort. “Dave, she’s sleeping in your bed. You’re talking about moving her in here permanently. You’re already in a relationship.”

He bites his lip and looks at her. “Fuck.”

Emily, the cat, jumps onto the bar between them and sniffs at Dave’s coffee cup.

“Oh, she’s gorgeous,” Emily gushes. She reaches out tentatively. The cat sniffs her fingers then rubs her head against them. Emily sighs and begins to pet the cat.

“Emily,” Penelope says sleepily as she enters the room. She wears a large, pink, fuzzy robe and slippers.

“Hey Pen, how are you feeling,” Emily asks. Her eyes bulge as she takes in the bruise on Penelope’s cheek. “Damn! That’s a hell of a shiner you got there.”

Penelope reaches up and tenderly touches her cheek. She winces. “Ow!”

“You shouldn’t touch it,” Emily says belatedly as she scratches the cat behind the ears.

“You think,” Penelope replies testily. She wraps herself around Dave and lays her head on his shoulder. “I’m a little foggy.”

“Probably the pain meds,” Dave points out. He notices her reaching for his mug. “It’s empty. Sit down, Kitten, I’ll get you some coffee.”

He slides off the bar stool and untangles himself from her. Penelope takes his seat as she yawns. Dave pours some coffee into Pen’s unicorn cup and places it in front of her.

“You want another,” he asks Emily as he holds up the pot.

Still petting the cat, she doesn’t look up. “Yes, please.”

Dave fills her cup and his own. He puts hers on the bar then proceeds to make another pot. Penelope was up, which meant more coffee was in order.

“What were you guys talking about,” Pen asks as she preps her coffee.

“Emily was telling me all about her love life,” Dave teases.

“Your boyfriend is a gossip whore,” Emily teases back.

Penelope giggles. “You get anything good out of him?”

“There’s a reason he was the best hostage negotiator, you know. He doesn’t let anyone else ask questions,” Emily smiles.

Dave joins them at the bar, places his arm around Penelope and kisses her cheek. “You already know everything about me,” he tells her.

She smiles smugly. “I’d like to think I do.”

“She knows everything about everyone,” Emily whispers loudly.

They all laugh.

“Seriously though,” Penelope presses. She eyes Emily. “You didn’t come here this early in the morning to talk about your love life.”

Emily looks up and takes in Pen’s expression. “Honestly, I stopped by to check on you. I got lucky enough to catch Dave. I didn’t think about the time until I got here.”

Penelope continues to scrutinize her friend. “Hmm.”

Emily picks up her cup and takes a long drink.

“I think she’s here to drink all the coffee,” Dave says quietly. “It seems suspicious to me.”

Penelope looks at Dave then back to Emily. She lets out a deep sigh. “And here I thought I could get some juicy gossip, like Andrew proposed or something.”

Emily smiles. “You’ll be the second phone call I make. I promise.”

“Second,” Penelope pouts. “Who’s first?”

“Keely,” Emily responds. “I think she would be upset if her father and I didn’t call to tell her first.”

“I guess so,” Penelope concedes.

Emily finishes her coffee. “I should get going. I need to update your team and put someone in charge.”

“Brian has been training to step in on my days off,” Penelope says. “He’s good. And he understands the needs of the tech team and the BAU teams.”

Emily nods. “Brian it is. Thanks for the coffee and the chat. I’ll call you later for an update.”

“I’ll walk you out,” Dave offers. He starts to stand.

Emily laughs. “I think I can find the door. It’s right there.”

“Fine, see yourself out,” Dave grumbles as he settles back on the stool.

Emily hugs Penelope before exiting the kitchen and letting herself out of the house.

Dave turns to Penelope. “You hungry?”

“I need to take a bath,” she says. “Will you help me?”

Dave grins. “Is it time for the hanky-panky?”

She laughs and drinks her coffee, eyeing him over the rim.

***

Dave helps Penelope out of her robe and into the warm, bubbly bath water. The room smells of lavender and vanilla, as Penelope insisted on scented candles as she bathed.

“Lay back and soak for minute,” Dave instructs softly.

She eyes him warily. “Are you leaving me?”

“I’m going to step into the bedroom and take off my shirt,” he explains. “I don’t want to get it wet.”

She smiles coyly. “You’re welcome to strip in here. And by strip, I mean take it all off.”

He laughs and grins at her. “We are not having sex in the bathtub.”

“We can just start here,” she suggests. She wiggles her eyebrows at him.

He pauses and slowly lets out a breath before toeing out of his shoes. He watches her watching him as he unbuttons his shirt. “Why can’t I say no to you,” he murmurs.

She grins. “Mmm, that’s good to know.”

He unbuttons his sleeves and slips the shirt off his shoulders, folds it and places it on the closed toilet seat lid. Grabbing the bottom of his undershirt, he pulls it up and over his head. His hands tremble a bit as he folds it as well and places it on his shirt.

“You are so fucking sexy,” Penelope says softly.

Dave looks at her. Her arms lay on the edge of the tub, with her chin propped on one forearm. Her eyes sparkle as she takes in every move of his body.

He looks down at himself. The hair on his chest has long turned gray, and the muscle tone in his pecs and abdomen has softened. He chuckles. “I think we need to get you some new glasses.”

“I love you just as you are,” she tells him. “And I can see quite well, thank you.”

He bends over to remove his socks. His erection makes it difficult. Her eyes on him has affected him more than he imagined. He straightens up and reaches for his belt.

“Wait,” she commands. “Come closer.”

Dave shuffles next to the tub. Pen reaches up with her good hand and rubs the front of his jeans. He moans and squeezes his eyes closed.

“Someone is definitely ready for hanky-panky in the tub,” she teases. She continues to rub him through the thick denim. “Ooh, you are so hard.”

Dave breathes heavily and shifts into her hand. “That feels so good.”

“Feels good to me too,” she smiles. She lets her hand slide down his leg, stopping just above his knee. “Take off your belt.”

He unbuckles the belt and pulls it out of the loops.

Her hand moves up swiftly. She tucks her fingers into the waistband of his jeans and pops the button.

Dave drops the belt onto the floor behind him and lowers his hands to his sides. He watches her fingers dance over the fly of his jeans, her fingertips gently teasing before she grasps the zipper tab and slides it down. His erection throbs. Since her return to his life, his sex life has become interesting and unexpected. He had truly thought this part of his life was over.

“You’re going to have to take your pants off,” she reminds him as she holds up her left hand.

He shimmies his pants down his legs dragging his underwear along as well. Her hand encircles his erection and strokes him a few times. He falls to his knees, leans over and kisses her hard.

“Jesus Kitten,” he breathes against her lips.

“Come in the tub with me,” she moans.

He groans. “Slide up. Let me sit behind you.”

She smirks and bats her eyes ad him. “But then I can’t play with you as easily.”

“No,” he replies as he stands and steps into the tub behind her. “But I get to play with you.”

He gets comfortable behind her and pulls her back to lean against his chest.


End file.
